Boss excited to pair with Moeaki in KC

On Monday, Kevin Boss was the Raiders’ starting tight end. By Tuesday, he was unexpectedly cut as Oakland continued to trim its salary cap number in advance of free agency.

Boss was courted by the Kansas City Chiefs Wednesday, arrived in town Thursday and signed a three-year contract with the team Friday morning. His wife, Breanna, is now flying in to begin house hunting this weekend.

New employer, new city, new teammates. All in a matter of five days.

"I kind of like the smaller town feel," Boss said of Kansas City’s appeal after spending his first four seasons in New York and last season in the Bay Area. "Just talking to Mr. (Scott) Pioli and Coach (Romeo) Crennel, I just love the whole organization from the top down. I’m looking forward to getting out here and getting settled in."

While Boss is excited about joining his third team, the Chiefs are excited about receiving an upgrade at the tight end position.

At 6’6” and 255 pounds, Boss can play a number of roles in the Chiefs offense. He’s a strong, physical blocker who can set the edge as a traditional tight end in the run game and a solid route runner who brings a much-needed second receiving threat to the position group.

Since becoming a regular starter in 2008, Boss has averaged 35 catches and 463 receiving yards each season. He’s also averaged nearly five touchdown catches per season over that timeframe.

Boss’ best year came in 2009 with the N.Y. Giants when he caught 42 passes for 567 yards with five touchdowns.

“I’m comfortable doing a lot of different things,” Boss said. “I’ve played a lot of different roles with New York and with Oakland.”

“I’m excited to bring my talents here and hopefully help this team win.”

An offensive roster filled with young talent at the skill positions was a selling point for Boss to come to Kansas City.

He’s well-versed with the Chiefs’ defensive personnel from playing Kansas City twice last year with Oakland, but the opportunity to pair with Tony Moeaki was another reason Boss found the Chiefs appealing.

“I’m excited to be here with Tony,” Boss said. “I think it’s going to be fun to play with him. You’ve seen the success the Patriots have had with a couple of good tight ends and I think it’s something we can do here.”

Moeaki caught 47 passes as a rookie in 2010, but the position group churned out just 34 combined receptions last season after Moeaki fell to a season-ending left knee injury in the preseason finale.

Though Moeaki is on pace to make a full return by training camp, adding Boss to the mix gives the Chiefs positional depth should injuries hit again.

“We felt that signing Kevin continued our free agent plan of adding good players to our roster,” Pioli noted. “Kevin has a track record of personal and team success in this league and he is a good fit for us.”

“I think the direction that Mr. Pioli and Coach Crennel are taking this team is definitely moving in the right direction,” said Boss. “The talent here is amazing, and it’s young talent. That’s something that I think gives us a lot to look forward to in the future and a lot of years to continue to build this team.”